ReviewReproductive medicine and biology
Assisted Sperm Fusion Insemination: A Fusion-Based Approach to Fertilization Without Mechanical Oolemma Penetration.
Review in Reproductive medicine and biology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
1 author.
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Abstract
Background: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is widely used in assisted reproductive technology and achieves fertilization by directly injecting a spermatozoon into the oocyte cytoplasm. However, it requires deliberate disruption of the oolemma and bypasses physiological sperm-oocyte membrane fusion. Assisted sperm fusion insemination (ASFI) was developed to achieve fertilization through gamete membrane fusion without penetrating the oolemma. Methods: This review summarizes the biological basis of sperm fusion competence, including acrosomal exocytosis, zona pellucida interaction, and molecular mechanisms of gamete membrane fusion, and reviews the development, technical procedure, clinical evidence, and current limitations of ASFI. Results: ASFI uses motile zona pellucida-bound spermatozoa that are recovered and pressed against the oolemma to facilitate membrane adhesion and fusion. Clinical studies have demonstrated fertilization, blastocyst development, and live birth after ASFI. In a prospective sibling-oocyte study, ASFI achieved a higher normal fertilization rate than conventional ICSI (88.0% vs. 70.2%), with no oocyte degeneration (0% vs. 8.8%) and a higher usable embryo rate per MII oocyte (45.8% vs. 28.1%). Conclusion: ASFI provides a fusion-based alternative to direct sperm injection and may reduce procedure-related oocyte degeneration. Further studies are required to establish zona-independent sperm selection, technical standardization, and reproducibility across centers.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.